Crypto posts flood Milwaukee airport’s X account after hack

Crypto scammers have hacked the official X account for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.

On Thursday, the account began reposting mostly cryptocurrency content and posts about Maduro’s capture in Venezuela. The remaining posts on the page were all reposts from the @Bitcoin account on X.

Hackers promote crypto on the stolen page

The scammers changed the handle of the verified MKE – Milwaukee Airport X page. The hacked account is now called @TheHodaLaw, featuring the Hoda Law Firm in its profile picture and a cover photo that links to the Hoda website.

The scammers even pinned a message warning of crypto fraud and promising to help victims recover their funds. The message included a strong call to action, followed by a private message button.

The official website of Milwaukee airport had a link that directed users to a “This Account Doesn’t Exist” page on X. The real X account handle was @mitchellairport.

Harold Mester, public affairs director for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, told WISN 12 News that they reported the issue to X and are waiting for access to be restored.

Mester said their security team is reviewing the situation and might contact law enforcement if needed.

The real Hoda Law Firm responds

The Hoda Law Firm, whose name appeared on the suspected hacked page, responded to local news outlets. Marshal Hoda, the owner of the law firm, said he does not know what occurred.

The law firm, located in Texas, focuses on recovering funds from crypto scams. It had filed lawsuits on behalf of victims of crypto scams against foreign hackers.

Hoda concluded that an opponent might have done this. He said, “This has nothing to do with our firm and urge everyone to stay away — these are presumably scammers trying to trade on my firm’s hard-earned reputation to take more money from scam victims.”

The firm’s homepage added a warning about the impersonation incident.

Cybersecurity researchers advise users against interacting with the hacked page until the issue is resolved.

Crypto hackers continue to target major X accounts

Over the years, crypto hackers have taken over many verified X accounts to spread Bitcoin scams. 

In December, the X account of SimpleX Chat was hacked. The hackers used the compromised account to push a fake site that tricks users into linking their crypto wallets.

SimpleX reported that the attackers used the “delegate” feature on X to give third-party profiles posting rights on business accounts.

The hacker joined the @SimpleXChat account. Soon after, a post appeared promoting a fake program named “Perpetuals Early Access” with a link to a fake website.

The post invited users to join as founding members of a permanent communication network. The aim was to get users to click a “Connect Wallet” button, copying legitimate Web3 projects.

SimpleX restored access to the X account. Community members reported the fake post before it was deleted. Evgeny Poberezkin, the founder of SimpleX, said the attackers blocked his personal account during the breach to prevent public warnings.

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